Health insurance  for the uninsured tourist

A couple of months ago, Tina came to the US on a tourist visa. In her seventies, she did not want her son to petition her as she found living in the Philippines less hectic and more laidback compared to the stress of chasing the American dream. She enjoyed spending time with her son's family as they vacationed together in California and other states. She was also very glad to be able to join her former high school classmates when they celebrated their reunion in New York. She was so happy to have seen the leaves turned into golden hues during autumn and felt the powdery snow during a winter storm. She seemed to be having the time of her life when one night she experienced chest pains, dizziness, and terrible headaches. In no time, she was rushed to the hospital where they found her to have a heart attack. After a life-saving procedure and spending two nights at the ICU, she was discharged and ordered to start on cardiac rehab.

After a couple of weeks, she received a letter from the hospital demanding her to pay her medical bills. She was so shocked upon learning that she owed thousands of dollars for that hospital visit. Now, remember, her status in the US is under a tourist visa, thus she is not covered by any health insurance. Her son's health insurance does not cover her either, so she is left to wonder how in the world she would be able to pay such a staggering amount.

Tina's situation is not uncommon. I have seen non-immigrants who experienced a medical emergency and had to pay their bills out of pocket since they have no health insurance. In these cases, there are some things you can do to help alleviate your financial predicament.

1.) Talk with the medical facility's social worker and tell her that you have no insurance and may not have the ability to pay your medical bills. She might know some resources that are available for the uninsured that may help you pay for the costs of your medical emergency.

2.) You may or may not have talked to the social worker regarding your predicament, once a letter arrives in the mail demanding payment for your medical bills, do not hesitate to reach out to the hospital's social worker or the billing department. You may be able to negotiate a lower amount, or you may be able to pay your bills on a staggered basis, or by any luck, you may not even be able to pay at all.

3.) Check with your city, town, or state if there are health programs for the uninsured. There may be some financial assistance programs for those with medical bills or the local health department might have some free clinics or health centers for the poor and the uninsured. The trick here is to ask around. Do not be embarrassed to admit that you are uninsured, or you do not have money to pay.

4.) Consider purchasing temporary health insurance while abroad. I have not personally seen nor experience this so I cannot vouch how effective this is. Make sure you check the services included and excluded under the contract and up to what amount you are covered. Ask an attorney if you do not understand the terms of the insurance contract.

5.) If you are currently on maintenance medications, make sure you have enough supply that you bring from the Philippines. You do not want to run out of stock on your antihypertensive pills. If you end up needing these medications, you will need a doctor to write a prescription in order for you to obtain those meds from a local pharmacy. You will be paying these services and these drugs on your own since you do not have health insurance.

Healthcare here in the US is very expensive. What keeps the costs manageable is that citizens, permanent legal residents, or even those workers with authorized and valid temporary employment status are covered by health insurance one way or the other. It is extremely challenging if you don't have one.